Christine Doebler, Class of 2006
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ESMT: What is your current responsibility?
Christine: I work for Siemens Medical as a product manager for hearing aids in Corporate Marketing. I am responsible for taking a product from its first idea into the market, whereby I have to analyze different markets, consumer requirements and competitor behavior. I translate the results of my analysis into a product specification, which I pass on to R&D, who develop the respective product. I support the product throughout its entire development and am responsible for the product launch including the marketing concept and sales forecast. The challenging part of my position is to keep pace in a growing market and to think one step ahead of our competitors.
What kind of development does this job mean to you compared to your pre-MBA career? Why did you choose this job?
The position demands a sound technical understanding as well as profound knowledge in business administration / marketing, which makes it very interesting and multifaceted to me. With my technical degree and my MBA I can combine these two aspects, taking a broad responsibility in a well-paid position. Moreover, Siemens offers great career development opportunities both on a national and international level. Before my MBA, I was focused only on product technology and could not influence the business itself. My new position plays a key function as to how well our business will perform in the future.
How did ESMT MBA prepare you for this job?
With my ESMT MBA I gained not only the required knowledge and leadership skills, but also the necessary confidence to be able to perform well in such a position. My position requires dealing with people in very different positions: from the engineer in R&D, the head of sales in a specific country to the product designer. The organizational behavior skills that I acquired at ESMT help me to deal with different expectations and personal needs and to communicate between people of differing functions. ESMT supported me in getting and choosing my job options carefully by conducting analyses of my personal and professional preferences and by offering interview training.